


The Mission

by hoogwoorts



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2018-05-02 15:00:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5252582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hoogwoorts/pseuds/hoogwoorts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's getting ridiculous how long Will has been waiting to try asking Nico out. Maybe it just has to get more ridiculous before it gets less. </p>
<p>In which Will is basically being silly and pretending to be a secret agent on the hunt for Nico's affections. Because he's Will.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mission

**Author's Note:**

> My first solangelo fanfic :D 
> 
> Why is Will this way

It was a nice, warm summer night at Camp Halfblood, a few months since the war with Gaia. With each passing day, everything seemed to get better and better. Now, people only got themselves injured for fun, instead of fighting bad guys. It was good times. The hospital ward was full of people laughing at each other’s stupidity, instead of the grim solemnity it had been for a time.

Also, from Will’s point of view, tonight was an important night. He was finally going to ask him. It would take a lot of guts, but he was ready, he had decided. Everything was set into place for his plan; the target was in position, perfectly stationed at the edge of the crowd where they could talk relatively undetected. It was time.

Will slid on his detective sunglasses and surreptitiously sidled up to one Jason Grace.

“Target acquired,” he muttered to himself. Yes, this level of act was necessary. It was to calm his nerves. Doctor’s prescription. Will himself was the doctor who prescribed it, by the way.

“Jason Grace.” Will said, moving to stand darkly and mysteriously beside him. He nodded gravely.

“Will. …” Jason said, furrowing his eyebrows at him awkwardly. “Uh, why are you wearing sunglasses? It’s night time.”

Will tipped down his glasses to peer at Jason overtop of them. “I have… ahem… shall we say, ‘business’, to discuss with you.”

“Um, regarding your eyesight?” He sounded genuinely confused.

“Regarding a certain… shall we say… ‘friend’ of yours.”

At this, Jason contemplated him, frowning slightly in thought. “I think you’ll have to be more specific.”

Will tipped his glasses down to look over them again. “Black hair, black clothes, skinny, serious case of needs-a-hug disorder?”

“Oh, you’re talking about Nico--”

“SHH!” Will cut him off, glancing around quickly to make sure no one heard. A couple of suspicious characters were giving them strange looks. Apparently, sunglasses at night were not effective in diverting attention. “This is a covert mission, Grace!”

“Okay, okay.” Jason responded, perplexed. “So what did you want to say about N--... my friend?”

Casting his eyes around, Will whispered, “I wanted to… inquire about possible romantic… endeavors, shall we say.”

“Why do you keep saying ‘shall we say’?”

“Never mind that now, Jason. Romantic endeavors?”

“Uh, I don’t really know. He likes guys.”

Yet again Will looked over the top of his sunglasses. “I know that. I mean, specifically. Specific… ‘guys’.”

Jason shrugged. “He doesn’t really tell me much. I mean, he’s kind of a private person, if you hadn’t noticed.”

Will sighed dramatically. “Of course.”

“But, if you’re thinking of asking him out, I think you should do it.” Jason smiled.

Will folded his arms. “Because you believe him to return my affections, or because you only live once, go for it?”

“Well… I don’t really know how he feels necessarily.”

“So you think I should yolo it?”

“No, I mean, I think it would make him happy.”

Presently, Will began to stroke his chin in thought. “I see. I agree the positive emotion, ‘happiness’, is something I would rather like to invoke in him, should I have the chance.”

“So you should ask him out.” Jason grinned happily. It really was a great thing to see Nico smile, and Will made him smile more than anyone else.

“Hmmmmmmm…” Will looked over to where Nico was sitting near Percy and Annabeth. He had been making an effort to stop avoiding Percy and start trying to actually be friends with him. He looked a little awkward, but still tentatively happy.

“You do have a crush on him, right?”

Will just looked at him over the top of his glasses.

“Uh… right.” Jason smiled awkwardly at him. “So… is that all you wanted to ask? Or…”

“Yes, yes, you have done well. Thank you.”

Will sneakily slipped away, and Jason called “No problem!” after him. Now it was time for Will to continue to deliberate internally and pretty much disregard the conclusion of that last conversation.

What if he rejects me? Will sighed and sat down dejectedly, away from the Apollo cabin’s prying eyes. Would Nico actually be happy that Will asked him out? What if he just liked his friendship with Will and it would only get awkward if he found out Will would be up for something more relationship-y? Nico hated it when things got awkward. How did one ask one’s crush out without it being awkward? Since he didn’t know if Nico even liked him back? Could Jason be trusted? Trust no one.

Here, an all too familiar voice interrupted his thoughts. “Hey Will, what’s up?” Nico sounded gentle as he carefully perched next to him. For a moment Will was a little puzzled at why Nico should sound so worried, but then he remembered he had been essentially moping. Nico, like the beautiful, sensitive specimen he was, would of course find him if he was so uncharacteristically sitting out of the festivities.

“Nothin’ much.” Will tried to grin reassuringly. “Just thinking about stuff, you know?”

“What about?” he asked innocently. His face, which was gaining more and more color every day, glowed warmly in the flickering firelight. Those dark eyes were so filled with warmth where they had once been cold. Will just wanted to ask him out. Maybe he should respond cheesily to Nico’s question with “you”? But that would inevitably lead to him having to actually do the asking out thing. He was so not ready for that.

So he just shrugged. “Song lyrics.” Nailed it.

Nico raised his eyebrows questioningly. “Is it a gloomy song or something? You were looking kind of down? I mean if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine, I was just, I dunno.” He trailed off a little awkwardly, but it was just adorable to Will.

“Awww, you were worried about me.” Will supplied a shit-eating grin.

“Oh, shut up, Solace.” Nico rolled his eyes, but chuckled all the same. “Yeah, I guess.”

That threw Will a little bit. If by “threw”, you mean make his stomach perform nervous, but hopeful somersaults. It seemed Nico was getting a bit more comfortable about expressing his feelings, and shucks if it didn’t make Will feel all warm and glowy inside. His grin softened a bit.

“Thanks, Death the boy. I’m fine though, really.”

Nico playfully shoved him for the nickname, but it felt more fond than anything. Now, did “fond” translate to romantically attracted? This was the real question.

“So, what song?”

For a moment Will forgot what Nico was talking about, but luckily, like the master of deceit Will was, he remembered in time for the pause not to be weird.

Although he did end up blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

“We all live in a yellow submarine.”

Nico just looked at him, baffled. “What kind of song is that?”

It took a few moments for it to click that Nico had been born before this time, and then Will was jumping to his feet.

“ATTENTION, EVERYONE. The next song we will be singing is Yellow Submarine, by the Beatles! We have an uneducated citizen in our midst!”

Cheers erupted from the Apollo cabin and everyone scrambled to get the guitars started. Soon a beautifully out-of-tune chorus of “WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE, A YELLOW SUBMARINE” was filling the night air, while Will jubilantly conducted. Nico was just staring at him in bewilderment, as if he did not even comprehend the masterpiece that he was experiencing.

When it was over, everyone applauded and Will collapsed triumphantly back into his seat next to Nico, who was now just shaking his head and smiling. Gorgeously. Good ol’ Nico. That gorgeous, death prince, dude. Wow. What a guy. GODS WILL JUST ASK HIM ALREADY.

“So, heh heh, Nico. Party’s really on tonight, huh?” Smooth as butter.

“Yeah, it’s pretty fun. Just like all nights.”

“Yeah.” Maybe Will should have just said “you” when Nico asked what he was thinking about earlier. It would have been just the right amount of sickeningly cliché. “So, you come here often?”

Cue Nico staring again. “Like, pretty much every night?”

“Cool, cool. Me too actually.”

“I come here with you every night, Will.”

“Ugh, you make this so hard to say!” Will despairingly ran his fingers through his hair.

“Uh, are you trying to say something?”

“Look, Nico.” Will very seriously put his hands on Nico’s shoulders and looked right into his eyes. His dark, ebony eyes, framed in short but thick lashes. The lashes blinked in a weirded-out sort of way.

“Yes?”

Will was still staring at him. Maybe this was getting weird. Nah.

“Will you go out with me? Haha, get it? _Will_ you? 'Cause I'm Will? Gosh, I’m hilarious.” Gosh, he was hilarious.

For a moment Nico was staring uncomprehendingly, and then a blush started to creep across his face. It was hard not to kiss him in that moment.

“I--you--what?” Nico’s eyes widened as he stared at Will. “You mean--”

“Like, I mean we go out a fair amount and stuff, but I mean like not in a friend sort of way, and definitely in a boyfriend sort of way, as in like more than friends, sort of, if you want to, but it’s okay if you don’t you know, because I totally love being your friend, I also love staring at your face though, because it’s pretty, and like in an aesthetic way, but also in an I am attracted to you way, and feel free to stop me any time--”

Nico was trying to stifle a laugh with his hand, but it wasn’t really working. The blush hadn’t left his face. He looked so breathtaking there, and so so happy. Okay, maybe Jason was right. Nico was definitely happy and not awkwarded out. Still trust no one, though.

“Okay, we can-- yeah. Sure.” A hint of the smile still remained on his lips. He was shyly eyeing Will and Will was beaming back.

A fist pump was in order.

Nico laughed at him again, and Will wrapped his arms around Nico’s waist, burying his face in his new boyfriend’s shoulder. His boyfriend. Everything is wonderful, Will decided. He probably would have hugged Gaea if she’d shown up right then. He was glad she didn’t.

Nico hugged him back, almost with no hesitation. He really had improved in the last few months. He let out a happy sigh as he relaxed into Will’s embrace.

“I can’t believe Annabeth was right,” Nico said in wonder, arms still wrapped around Will.

“Never thought I’d hear anyone say that. Annabeth’s always right.”

Nico laughed, finally letting go. “True, but it was hard to believe her when she said that she thought you might like me back.” Nico smiled timidly at will.

“You… you told Annabeth you liked me? And she didn’t tell me. Excuse me while I have a word with her.”

Nico grabbed his arm exasperatedly as he made to get up. “I didn’t even tell her, she just assumed! Honestly. She just kept teasing me and saying that you liked me, but I don’t know, I thought she was joking…” Nico blushed. “I don’t even understand how you could.”

Will softened instantly, and would have hugged him again but he knew Nico still wasn’t a huge fan of physical contact. “You’re, like, the most amazing person ever. Like, I could write a haiku about you, but I won’t, because I don’t want to remind you of my dad. But seriously, like…” Will blushed, looking around at a lot of places that weren’t Nico. “You’re just really kind, and brave, and your face is nice.”

“You… really think so?”

“Definitely,” said Will immediately. “You’re like the greatest person I’ve ever met! I kind of, really want to kiss you a lot of the time!”

“Really?” Will finally met Nico’s eyes and Nico was now looking interested. At the kissing thing. Will felt his pulse increase a couple of beats per minute.

“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. Will Solace is faithful, one hundred percent,” Will said very seriously.

“Did you just make that up?”

“It was a quote. Of something that I will immediately be exposing you to after this campfire.”

“Alright.” Nico glanced at the ground, and then back up at Will. “So, um, about the kissing thing… I wouldn’t be opposed.”

“Really?” Yep Will’s heart was hammering like… like a hammer. That rascal. “I mean… it’s totally okay if you’re not ready. I understand your need for personal space and--”

He was interrupted by Nico’s hand moving to his hair. What a distracting hand.

“Will.” Nico was leaning a little closer. His cheeks were both rosy and olive-toned. He looked really, really nice. “Thanks. But I really want to kiss you.”

“Okay.”

Up until that point Will had successfully managed to completely forget about everyone else gathered around them, because really the only important one was Nico. But Will barely had time to sit in a warm, post-kiss daze before everyone erupted into applause and wolf-whistling.

“Yeah, go get ‘em, Solace!”

“I knew it!”

“You owe me a drachma.”

Nico and Will simultaneously shot embarrassed glances to the crowd and then back at each other, before Will started to break out into laughter with Nico quickly following.

Nico took his hand after that, and held it for the rest of the night. Because holding hands is awesome, and so is Nico.

 

 (This amazing picture was drawn by [windycarnage ](http://windycarnage.tumblr.com/)(please check them out, their art is fantastic). You can see the original post [here](http://windycarnage.tumblr.com/post/160811029212/rick-riordan-wont-tell-me-how-their-first-date)! The moment I saw it I thought it was perfect for this fic. Posted with permission from the artist.)


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